Palestinian Regime – A Partial Democracy

This book examines the new political order that emerged in the West Bank and Gaza after the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1994. It demonstrates that two political systems exist in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: one which is active, undemocratic and dominant; and one which is passive, democratic and overshadowed by the first. As'ad Ghanem demonstrates how Yassir Arafat has created an authoritarian regime and how he controls this through the concentration of power, intimidation and bribery, after having shoved aside the forces that had shaped the emerging political order that had come into being before the establishment of the PNA. This order, which incorporated political pluralism, struggle, protest on behalf of change, and voluntary organizations that were the first sign of the appearance of a Palestinian civil society, functions as a weak shadow of Arafat's centralized regime. The research for this book is based on original sources and documents of the PNA, interviews with the political leadership of the PNA and opposition, and the reports of Human Rights organizations of PNA violations. Included as an Appendix are English language translations of the Palestinian Authority's Political Program, the Palestinian Legislative Council's Proposals for Independence of the Judiciary, Standing Orders of the Palestinian Council, and Palestinian Basic Law (including Public Rights and Freedoms) as it relates to executive and judicial authority.